Turbulence
by KarmaHope
Summary: It's been weeks since the events on the Watchtower. After their kiss, Wally thought he and Artemis were good; that everything was okay. So why has Artemis been acting so cold towards him since then, as if it never happened? They work through the issue. Major emotional Spitfire bonding moment. Angst. Fluff. How they dealt with the aftermath to become official with each other.


_Wrote this for the friend of mine that got me into Young Justice. Started it on a plane ride- thus the inspiration for 'Turbulence'. Will most likely only be a one-shot … I hope you like it. _

Edit: Someone pointed out to me that this is January, something I had forgotten as I wrote this. I added in some details to fix that problem.

**Reviews are appreciated, especially since this is only a one-shot.**

_For Izzy  
_**Turbulence**

"Uhg," Wally West groaned, leaning back in the couch he was sitting on, "I'm so bored! You'd think there would have been another mission for us already!"

It had been weeks since the showdown at the Watchtower, and Batman had yet to assign them another mission. It was nearly the end of January already, and they had been stuck to the confines of Mount Justice. Well, they were free to come and go as they chose, but with the lack of missions they all felt that they might as well of been put on house arrest.

Robin looked up from where he was reconfiguring the mountain's security systems to pass the time. "It could be worse," he said offhandedly, "For once, I'm glad we're not in the League. I'd hate to be the one dealing with the fallout over there."

"I know," the speedster said, "but- you know me! I need to be moving. I can't just sit around here doing nothing all day."

That there was proof they needed to get out, Robin couldn't help but think. Usually his friend would be all for lazing around and eating the mountain out of house and home, if past occurrences said anything about him. The Boy Wonder couldn't help but agree- they needed to do _something_.

"I've made cookies," a bright voice suddenly cut into both their thoughts. Both teens' attentions were quickly turned to the green-skinned Martian standing in the doorway. "They're in the kitchen when you're ready," she added before slipping back out of sight.

Megan had turned to baking when she became bored with the lack of activity. In the past few weeks, she had improved greatly. Several of the team's members had joked that when they actually received their next mission, they would be so out of shape they wouldn't accomplish anything. Still, the red-haired teenager had disappeared within seconds of the girl's announcement.

Robin could only smile slightly at his older friend's antics as he bleeped off the screen he was working on to follow.

At first glance all might seem well, but tensions had been running high among all those in association with the Justice League. Young Justice was no exception. Despite the mission hiatus, they were still fighting their own individual battles. They were all dealing with the aftermath of the Watchtower in some way, shape, or form.

Among Young Justice, there was no one more aware of this than their archer and speedster.

Wally came to a screeching halt in the kitchen only to be met with four individual gazes. He couldn't have cared less about three of them, but he flinched under the fourth. Those stormy grey eyes pinned him down like a beetle on a card.

He did his best to ignore them. "Someone mentioned cookies?" He asked lightly in his usual fashion. His green eyes landed on the tray on the island counter. "Yum!"

"They're chocolate chip," Megan said with happiness that could have been either genuine or false- it was hard to tell. "I didn't even burn them this time!" she finished proudly.

A snort froze Wally mid-reach for another one. "He wouldn't care if they were burnt," came the scathing remark he had unfortunately come to expect within the past month.

A sinking feeling gripped his chest, but he pushed it off as best he could. "Why would I?" he asked, as if nothing was wrong. "Burnt cookies are still cookies." With difficulty, he shrugged before grabbing the cookie he had been previously reaching for.

An undecipherable look crossed the archer's face before she schooled her expression once more. Before anyone could say anything, Artemis spun on her heel and left the room, citing excuses no one believed.

It had been this way for weeks. After their … kiss … she had completely closed herself off. After several failed attempts at talking to her, Wally had resigned himself to the facts. That … whatever it was they had … had been dashed to pieces that night on the watchtower. That _thing_ had clearly been a one-night _thing_. Honestly, if he could go back to the days before the kiss, he would have.

At least then it had been playful bantering. Now when they argued, it was arguing. Every remark exchanged was acerbic and meant to sting, at least on her end. Wally was doing his best to not respond.

He stared down at the cookie in his hand before eating that one as well. He needed a mission, and he needed a mission now.

"You know, you really should go to her," Zatanna said softly. Each of the occupants in the room – Megan, Raquel, Zatanna – and now Robin, whom had just entered, watched the blonde girl's retreating back.

Wally didn't answer. He didn't see the point in saying things that were already common knowledge.

"Come on, KF," Robin said, snatching a cookie for himself. "Let's go a few rounds. Without a mission, I can practically feel myself getting rusty." It was a lie, and everyone knew it was a lie- he had been helping Batman on his missions. Still, Wally didn't argue and followed his friend out of the room.

As luck had it, the wishes for a new mission were granted the next day. It was a bank heist in Gotham, so it wasn't a large mission. The team was quite put-out upon learning the crime was being committed by the average run-of-the-mill criminals rather than one of the supervillians they had become accustomed to fighting. They felt as if Batman was just giving them busywork for the time being.

Still, orders were orders, and it got them out of Mount Justice for a few hours. Aqualad gave the command to move out, so move out they did.

Once aboard the Bioship, Robin re-checked his utility belt, along with his other weapon caches. Artemis loaded her quiver and tested the pull on her bow. The others had no such things to check, and were ready to go from the start. Seeing as they would be working in winter temperatures, several of them had opted for their winter gear.

M'gann hooked them up telepathically before they left.

_Robin, Artemis- everything set? _Kaldur queried.

Artemis nodded. _Everything is under control._

_Why is it _con _trol? _Robin interjected, eliciting a sigh from most of his teammates, _shouldn't it be _pro_trol if everything is good?_

_Robin, shut up._

At that point, it didn't matter who had spoken. Everyone had gotten used to the young teenager's wordplay. By now, 'shut up' was the standard response to his antics … all in good humor, of course.

Their elected leader gave them the command to go. One by one, they leapt out of the Bioship onto the rooftops below. Robin flipped; Artemis slowed her descent with a grappling arrow. Kaldur landed nimbly, Connor not so much. M'gann floated down gracefully, defying the pull of gravity. Wally stumbled into a forward roll as he hit the ground.

_Right,_ Aqualad told the others, _here's the plan_.

It was rather simple, and quite possibly overkill for the mission they were on. The guys down below were quite obviously amateurs. Still, having not seen any action in the past weeks, the team was rearing to return to their old routine.

Superboy and Aqualad would be the main strike team, with Artemis and Miss Martian to watch their backs from a distance. Robin would be hacking the security systems and feeding them information throughout. Kid Flash was tasked with getting the hostages out- his speed would make him a difficult target.

With a single motion, the team burst into action.

Robin pulled his Amazing Disappearing Act within seconds, and the others knew they wouldn't be seeing him again until later.

_I'm going in_, Wally said after Connor and Kaldur engaged the men that had been holding the hostages at gunpoint.

_I've got you covered_, Artemis responded, _go_.

If the archer had been standing in a place where she could see the young speedster, and not on the roof opposite the bank, she would have seen a flash of extreme surprise cross his face before it fell into mild disappointment. If this had been before, he might have made some comment about a kiss for luck or something like that. He still almost did- but stopped himself just in time.

_Right. Here I go._

Artemis bit her tongue as she watched the yellow-bedecked hero dash into the building. She knew she had been cold toward the boy in the past month or so, and she knew the effect it had had on him. She had been feeling something similar herself. Still …

She kicked herself mentally. Now was not the time to be reconsidering her actions. Not as she was sitting on a roof supposedly looking out for a teammate. Not with a live weapon in her hands.

Didn't her father teach her better than that?

She hadn't realized how long she had let her thoughts wander until she truly looked back at the situation. Her heart pounded in terror when she saw what was happening down below.

_Wally! _She screamed, _behind you!_ The archer cursed herself violently as she scrambled to grab an arrow out of her quiver. She was supposed to be the backup, not the liability!

Kid Flash quickly scooped up the civilian he had been helping, diving forward just in time to avoid the axe that swept through where his head had once been. He landed hard on his shoulder, protecting the child he held in his arms. He gritted his teeth as he heard a pop followed by searing pain.

Seconds later, copious amounts of purple foam froze the man in place.

_I got him,_ the archer said. Wally was surprised to hear a waver in her tone. _Are you alright?_

_I think I dislocated my shoulder,_ he replied as he stood gingerly. He put the kid down, who proceeded to run to his mother. _What about you, beautiful?_

Artemis' throat clenched tight at the use of his pet name. _I'm … fine_, she told him, somewhat unconvincingly.

_I hate to get between you two_, a new voice broke in, _especially since this is the first time you've spoken without arguing in forever, but the situation's now under protrol. We're done here._

Artemis rolled her eyes. It was Robin, of course. That little troll. Still, a part of her was grateful for the distraction. She knew that Wally was going to ask her what was wrong. She knew she hadn't disguised the feeling in her voice well enough.

That was her- putting off her problems until the last possible moment.

The confrontation came later that night.

Wally had had enough. He was tired of the constant dance he was performing with Artemis. He was tired of not knowing what she was thinking. He was tired of the constant doubt.

His shoulder was also killing him, despite the fact he had been put on painkillers upon having his arm fixed. The dull pain may have also been fueling his irritation. Thus, he soon got tired of confinement to the medbay and stalked out into the Cave.

"Wally!" M'gann exclaimed as he entered the living room area, "Shouldn't you be resting?" She asked concernedly.

He nearly laughed at the thought that months ago, he would be ecstatic at the green-skinned beauty's attention. Instead, he plastered a wry smile on his face. "Faster healing rates," he explained simply. "Plus I was tired of sitting around already… speedster, you know?"

"You're looking for Artemis."

It wasn't a question. Wally deflated under the Martian girl's gaze.

"Did you just read my mind or something?" He asked resignedly.

M'gann shook her head. "I didn't need to," she told him.

"It's that obvious?" He cringed at her knowing look. "Okay, don't answer that. I don't want to know."

"She's out on the beach," he was informed quietly. "I think she knew you'd be looking for her."

"Thanks," Wally said gratefully before leaving the room.

He grabbed his jacket and forced himself to walk at a normal speed out of Mount Justice. Why, he didn't quite know. Perhaps he hoped she would take him more seriously if he showed he was making an effort. He nearly snorted at the realization. Like it was going to make any difference, he couldn't help but think cynically.

As he reached the sands, he saw that Artemis was indeed there as well. She sat a little further down, just out of reach of the seawater tides. She too wore her winter coat and gloves, but her hair had been loosened from its holder and was now flowing loosely in the stiff sea breeze. The only light was that of the moon and the stars overhead, their pale glow reflecting off the ocean and the thin scattering of snow on the beach.

"I know you're there," Artemis called without turning around.

Startled, Wally lost his words. "Ah- what- how?"

"Family of assassins," she reminded him- he could practically hear the eye roll that accompanied it, "you pick it up fast."

"Ah." He replied. "Right."

He moved to sit beside her, leaving a couple feet of space between them. The night was abnormally warm for a late January evening- somewhere in the high forties. They sat in silence for several minutes, neither of them knowing what to say to the other. The soft crashing of the waves filled the air, and it was moments like this they could pretend the rest of the world didn't exist.

Wally had left the medbay with the intent on chewing Artemis out for her cold, standoffish behavior over the past month, but now he was here he couldn't bring himself to do that. From here on out, he was just going to have to wing it. He prayed he wouldn't slip up and say something to make the situation worse. He was rather infamous among the team for doing just that.

"How's your arm?" The girl's quiet voice, drowned even more by the crashing surf, startled him for the second – or maybe it was the third … fourth? – time that night.

"Better," he told her. "It was actually dislocated, but it's back in place now. I've also got these painkillers that aren't helping much. I'll be alright by tomorrow."

"That's good," she responded, still not looking at him.

Wally sighed. "What are we doing?" he asked after a moment's pause. When Artemis finally looked over at him, albeit confusedly, he continued. "I mean, I thought we were gonna be okay. After New Years', that is. I thought we'd finally gotten over the whole hostility thing. But … these past few weeks … I just don't know anymore."

He ran his fingers back through his red hair, his green eyes looking imploringly at the girl beside him. "What's going on?" He questioned, "Why have these weeks been so hard?"

Artemis sighed and looked away from him. She mumbled something, looking toward the stars that shined overhead. He strained his ears, but couldn't hear what she said over the waves hitting the sand.

"What was that?" he was forced to ask.

The archer sighed, dropping her gaze to look him in the eye. "I said I was scared!" She said louder. "I've _never_ felt this way about anything before. Growing up, I was told to never trust anybody. I was taught that emotion was a weakness. You can see where this would be an issue for me!" Her voice was rising with each sentence, becoming slightly more hysterical as she continued. "After the Watchtower, I panicked. I didn't know what I was doing, and I tried to return to a place where I did. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry. A-and tonight …"

She trailed off, burying her head in her arms. Her knees were drawn up, and her face was hidden from view.

"Artemis … Beautiful, what's wrong?"

"You nearly _died_ because of me!" she exclaimed, still refusing to look at him. "I had my head in the clouds, worrying about you and me and all … this … and I wasn't paying attention! I've never done that before … never …"

"Hey, hey, hey," Wally protested softly, moving so that he was on his knees before her. "Look," he said, carefully grasping the sides of her face. He gently pried her gaze from the sand beneath her until her grey eyes met his own green ones. "I'm still here," he told her.

"But-"

"Everyone makes mistakes," he said, cutting her off. "Heck, just ask Robin about some of the stupid things he's done in the past. Ask M'gann about her first mission with us. The point is that we recover from these things and move on."

When did he get so sappy? Uhg.

"I'm sorry," Artemis whispered, searching his eyes with her own. She couldn't understand why he was so willing to forgive her after everything she'd done. Everything she'd previously learned told her he should be screaming at her right now, not … getting closer.

"Don't be," he whispered back to her, "that's all history."

Their chilled lips met hesitantly, but it wasn't long until they had both relaxed into the kiss. It was technically the second, but it could have been their first for all they cared. Artemis' arms released her knees from their grasp only to land around his shoulders, pulling him in closer.

Though it remained somewhat chaste, the both of them were still breathing heavily when they broke apart. Their arms remained wrapped around each other, unwilling to let go quite yet. Not after they had just found each other again.

Artemis smirked up at the redhead in front of her. "Not a word of this is to be repeated to _anyone_. Not even Robin- _especially_ not Robin," she threatened. She didn't have to name an 'or else.' She didn't need to.

"My lips are sealed, Beautiful," he told her before swiftly kissing her once again.

The two laid back on the beach together, watching the stars and listening to the sound of the surf. Artemis relaxed into Wally's side, relishing in his slightly-higher-than-average body temperature. Neither of them noticed the chill as the time ticked away, and without realizing it, both of the young heroes fell asleep on the cold sand.

A certain someone found them lying together early the next morning. It wasn't long before several pictures were taken as photographic evidence and possible blackmail material.

The dark-haired teenager considered waking them up, but decided to take pity on them as he turned around and headed back into the Cave. There would be other days he could tease his two best friends about their relationship.

He chuckled to himself as he walked away. Perhaps he would make use of the gym for a few hours. After all, he had plenty of extra time since he had woken at dawn to capture the moment between the two.

Unfortunately, his early-morning brain hadn't thought to erase the footprints he had left behind in the light dusting of snow on the sand …

It was something he would come to regret later.


End file.
